


A Surprise for Nathaly

by pushingsian



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Sam and Steve are apparently bffs, Shepard has A Day, borrowing other people's OCs, forgotten birthdays
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29112012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushingsian/pseuds/pushingsian
Summary: In April 2186, in the midst of the Reaper War, the Normandy crew have few ways to relax. When the opportunity to celebrate arises, who are they to pass it up?A gift for @Pigeon_theoneandonly, using her wonderful Shepard, Nathaly.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	A Surprise for Nathaly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pigeon_theoneandonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pigeon_theoneandonly/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Mass Effect: Discovery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14851092) by [Pigeon_theoneandonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pigeon_theoneandonly/pseuds/Pigeon_theoneandonly). 



> This is a very late birthday present for the wonderful Pigeon! A year ago today, I left a comment on a piece of theirs called "Work Night" and instantly fell in love with Nathaly, Kaidan, and the world Pigeon had created. We began talking, and the friendship we have developed over the last year has become so important to me. As a result of their encouragement, I have finally begun writing my own stories and my love for Mass Effect has been rekindled. 
> 
> Thank you Piegon for letting me play in Nathaly and Kaidan's sandbox, and I look forward to many more years of friendship!

The cracked plastic of the chair was digging into Nathaly’s back as she waited for Cortez’s omnitool to link up to the screen. Sam and Steve were curled up on a couch of questionable cleanliness next to her. The three of them were tucked up in a corner of the cargo bay the crew had turned into a small, makeshift cinema for movie nights. 

Steve turned out to be something of a film buff, a love recently rekindled with Sam, so it wasn’t unheard of them to bring Shepard in when they found a fun classic she might like. Apparently, this one had been sent to Steve by a friend on the Citadel and her curiosity was piqued by the way her two companions shared a conspiratorial look every few minutes, so her hopes for the feature were high. 

After a moment, the screen flickered to a purposeful void, and a deep voice began speaking as the camera panned over an Alliance dress uniform chest, each medal gleaming as they came into focus.

_Commander Nathaly Shepard. N7. Akuse survivor. Savior of the Citadel. Humanity's First Spectre._

The screen suddenly changed, a battlefield full of explosions and bullets as a figure carved their way through the melee. 

_She can fight back the geth, and she’s cheated death, but now comes her greatest battle yet. The battle for her heart._

“What the fuck is this?” Again? They did this shit to her again?

Sam and Cortez jumped at her outburst. A tall, muscular woman was on the screen. She was made up with smoky eyes and artfully placed smears of dirt across her angular cheekbones as she strode across the frame in surprisingly clean N7 armour. In the moments before Shepard had spoken up, she watched the woman drop her gun to the ground to throw herself into the arms of a handsome human soldier, sharing a passionate kiss. She wasn’t sure what disgusted her more, the maltreatment of the weapons, or the fact that the director thought she would act that way in the middle of a battle. 

Before she could comment further, the trailer continued. The scene switched to “Nathaly” at what looked like a party, being twirled across the dance floor and dipped with a flourish by someone who wasn’t the same man as before, but instead a tall turian with blue face paint. The screen froze, and it gave her a moment to study the picture some more, only to realise--

“Garrus? Is that supposed to be Garrus?” She stared at the screen agape. The amount of money it seemed they were throwing at this was disgusting anyway, but she wasn’t comfortable with the picture it painted of some lone wolf saving the galaxy, and one that couldn’t keep it in their pants at that. 

Cortez and Sam shared a silent battle. Sam sighed, “Only the trailer is out so far. It’s called Commander Shepard: Fight for Love.” 

Nathaly was aghast. “I thought the last biopic they made of me flopped, why the hell would they waste money on another one?” 

Steve shifted in his seat. “It has more of a romance angle. Audiences seemed to like that in Akuze so they ran with it, but this time it’s a fellow soldier from the Alliance and, well, Archangel. You are still trying to clear out the geth in the Traverse, but love keeps drawing you back. Apparently.” 

“Another love triangle. Really?” Shepard shook her head, torn between exasperation and disgust. “I died, wouldn’t that have been a more interesting angle?”

“Even I’m not sold on the story. At least they changed the actress from Akuze,” Steve drawled. 

“This one is taller,” came Sam’s helpful interjection, “And less, you know..” She trailed off. 

“Milky white?” Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, new film club rule: no films with me in.”

Steve cracked a smile, “I’ll go back to the drawing board for next week then.”

Shepard’s glare was her only reply. 

They were spared further scrutiny as Kaidan called Nathaly’s name from across the hanger. He was waiting next to the open elevator, wearing one of Nathaly’s favourite smiles. Throwing the screen one final scowl, she stalked away and left the two bickering over what to watch, mentally storing her anger away for another time. 

“Hey you,” Kaidan smiled at her as she approached, and dropped a kiss onto her frown. He returned Sam and Steve’s wave before tugging Nathaly closer. 

“Hey yourself. Please tell me you have a pressing matter to distract me with?” Nathaly’s lips turned up to tease, and she didn’t miss the way his eyes trailed over her. 

“As it happens, I do. Come on.” He dragged her into the elevator cabin.

Shepard watched him press the button for the crew deck. “I have eaten, you know. An actual meal too.” She folded her arms and leaned back against the wall of the lift. Since the Alliance had taken the Normandy into their fold, they had made a few changes to the ship. Most she didn’t complain about; after all, a lot of the work had happened while she was incarcerated so she didn’t have a say at this point either way, but the slow down of the inter-level travel wasn’t the most welcome. 

Kaidan gave her a half smile. “I know, I checked with Chakwas. This is for something different.”

She looked at him, noting the pink tips to his ears with interest. Was he nervous? She found it difficult to tell at times with his poker face, but she liked to think she had learnt a couple of his tells over the years. 

With a hiss, the doors opened and they stepped out. The mess seemed quiet, lights off, and Shepard felt her senses heighten as she took in the unusual atmosphere. Flicking a look at Alenko, she followed his lead further into the dark, the only sounds the hum of the drive core and the ever present cycling of the air. 

Just as she tightened her fists, the lights flipped on, and a cry of “Happy birthday!” went up in the air, followed by the small cracks of party poppers as confetti rained down around her. 

She blinked, forcing herself to relax and lower her shoulders. It was her birthday? She hadn’t realised. It was hard to register the passage of time accurately on a ship on a good day, and they hadn’t had one of those in a while. 

Faces starting registering in her mind; Garrus with a shiny pointed party hat sat jauntily atop his head crest, Liara and Tali smiling next to Grunt, who bore a slightly more menacing grin. Joker and EDI stood leaning against the kitchen counter, snacks in bowls scattered around them. There were generic banners hanging across the ceiling, and there seemed to be far too many tacky feather boas around for her liking. 

She spun back to Kaidan, shocked into silence for the second time in ten minutes. 

He gave her a gentle push forward towards the well wishers, keeping his hand on the small of her back and she let that ground her. Shepard had never been a fan of being the centre of attention. It was often an unfortunate side effect of her position, but it didn’t mean she relished the taste it left in her mouth. 

A few of the junior staff had that doe eyed look as they wished her a happy birthday; one even spilt his drink in order to shake her hand. Oddly, that made her relax a touch more.

Begrudgingly, Shepard found she was impressed. It really was a pretty good party, air thick with laughter and the collective amnesia of their mission. 

Cortex and Sam found her by the snacks to apologise for the atrocity they showed her earlier. “We had to get you out the way for the crew to set up in here, and we figured it would be the perfect thing to distract you,” Sam explained, her crisp accent apologetic, “In our defence, we didn’t realise just how bad it was.” Shepard rolled her eyes, but clicked her beer against theirs and forgave them, on the condition the trailer was deleted before anyone else on the crew caught wind of it. 

After a few drinks, the dining table had been shoved against the wall to make space for a dance floor, and Shepard let her friends drag her into their flow. As expected, those who had experienced the spectacle before knew to give her space to show off her questionable moves. As a child, Nathaly had heard 'dance like no one's watching', and for all her finesse in battle, none of that appeared here.

Ken and Gabby were squabbling over the playlist on a datapad when Shepard finally took a break to grab a drink from the makeshift bar with Tali. The music blended into a slower track, and she watched Kaidan as he twirled Karin for a few moments before James stepped in. Grabbing an extra beer, she caught his eye and stepped backwards into the hallway. She loved her crew, but between the shockingly bad movie trailer and the surprise party, she could use a moment to decompress. 

The music could still be heard faintly from the starboard observation lounge. She stretched on the couch, sipping from her bottle as the door opened to admit Kaidan. 

As usual, his presence was a balm. Tipping her head back to watch him walk over to her, she didn’t fight the grin that came naturally to her lips. Nathaly handed him a beer. She had drunk just enough to leave her feeling loose and so she let herself admire the man in front of her. 

"Are you checking me out, Commander?"

"I didn't think I was being subtle about it, Major." Nathaly closed the gap between them, relishing the feel of his soft lips against hers with a sigh. Kaidan gently pulled back before they could get carried away, and with a soft smile, reached beneath the couch and pulled out a box. 

Shepard took it from him but didn’t open it just yet, instead she fixed him with a look. “I don’t know if I should thank you or punch you for the surprise party you know.”

“It wasn’t my idea, Liara and Tali cooked it up between them, and once the rest of the crew got wind of it, there was no stopping that fire. Besides, it’s nice for them to cut loose every once in a while.” Kaidan stretched an arm across the back of the couch to play with the soft tufts of hair behind her ear. 

She couldn’t argue with that. 

Turning her attention to the box, she tugged on the bow and lifted the lid. Inside sat a pink frosted cupcake. It’s vivid colour and slight oily shine were instantly familiar; she could almost taste it’s cloying strawberry buttercream making her teeth ache and the way it’s artificial tang would cling to the roof of her mouth like a film. She knew this, as it was identical to the one he gifted her as a belated birthday gift 3 years and a lifetime ago on Noveria. 

“Happy birthday, Nathaly.”

“Thank you, Kaidan.” Pressing her smile to his, he didn’t expect the swipe of icing across his cheek, or the kisses that chased it, and it didn't take long for the cupcake to lay, devoid of it’s icing, forgotten on the table.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @swaps55 for the beta!


End file.
